Love Sick
by darveyswhiskey
Summary: A sick Harvey and a worried Donna...


**A/N: Fun fact, I actually wrote this while sick.**

"Harvey…"

"I'm fine, Donna." A congested, pale-faced Harvey replied weakly from his desk, head down as he worked. He was currently trying to prep for an upcoming case- a futile attempt with papers scattered in front of him and a dulling headache he kept trying to ignore. Trying being the operative word….

"Like hell you are." Donna shot back, voice laced with concern for her friend. She stood before him at the entrance to his office and walked to stand in front of his desk. "Go home. I'll tell Louis to take over your case."

Harvey's face shot up. "Like hell you are." He echoed her words, giving her a mildly stern look. "Louis doesn't know shit about-" a series of coughs interrupted his argument.

Donna waited for his coughs to subside. "So you were saying?" She shot him a sarcastic glance- that _Donna glare_ he's come to fondly know and love. Sometimes despise.

Harvey sighed, almost defeated. "Okay, I _may_ have come down with something, but," he stood from his desk, making his way around to stand in front of Donna. "I feel perfectly fine." He shot her an over-the-top smile that only made her roll her eyes even more.

"You're going home." She told him sternly. "And when I'm finished taking care of things here, I'll swing by to check up on you." She turned around and marched out of his office, not even bothering to wait for his response.

"You can't just-" Harvey knew his weak attempts to argue with Donna were pointless, and he _was_ feeling miserable. He let out a defeated sigh before gathering his things to leave.

Grocery bag in one hand, keys in the other, Donna juggled her way through the familiar hallway leading to Harvey's loft. She prided herself for making it to Harvey's in record time, heels and all, after not even bothering to go home and change after work, heading straight to the market to pick up some essentials. As she found herself reaching his door, she finally let the concern cloud over her features for just one second. She was barely able to concentrate at work, constantly worrying and thinking about Harvey, knowing he could never admit to himself or anyone around him when he felt sick. But in true Donna fashion, she held her head high and caught Louis up to date with Harvey's trial case, trying to finish everything up quickly so she could make it back to Harvey as soon as possible.

 _This is just a friend worrying for her friend, that's all,_ she told herself as she let herself into his apartment.

Silence.

She had a feeling he would crash as soon as he got back to his loft, but the silence still unsettled her. She had texted him a few times throughout the day just to make sure he was okay.

" _You still alive?"  
"Just checked my pulse. I believe so."_

" _Do you need anything?"  
"For this damn cold to get out of my system already so I can get back to work and make sure Louis doesn't screw up my case."  
"It's fine, you can say you miss me."_

" _Don't forget to take your medicine, Harvey."  
"Okay."  
"I'm serious. Take it."_

" _Are you feeling any better?"_

When he didn't text her back in thirty minutes, she got worried and called him.

" _Mm'ello?"_

" _You sound awful."_

"' _m tired. Took the damn meds."_

" _Good. Now go back to sleep, sleeping beauty."_

" _K, night night."_

Donna chuckled to herself, remembering their short conversation, settling the contents of the grocery bag on the kitchen's island. She took out a small container containing his favorite chicken soup with a bag of cough drops and started heading her way to his bedroom.

She stopped short at the sight before her. Harvey was lying on his stomach, comforter wrapped securely around him, mouth slightly open and his left arm loosely hanging off the side of his bed.

Donna smiled softly, a warm feeling she didn't want to dwell on settling in her stomach upon seeing him. He looked so peaceful, _cute even._

She made her way over to his bedside, placing the soup and cough drops next to an open bottle of cough medicine.

Sitting carefully on the side of his bed, she started shaking him awake. "Harvey."

Nothing.

She frowned. "Harvey, wake up, it's Donna. I brought you some stuff that will help you get your ass back to work soon."

Still nothing.

She rolled her eyes. "Louis screwed up your case, Harvey."

His eyes shot wide open. Well, almost.

"Wh- what? What the hell?" His voice was hoarse as he slowly started to sit up, eyes squinting at the room, brows furrowed when they settled on her.

"Morning, did you sleep well?" Donna smiled sweetly at Harvey, trying to mask her current amusement.

Harvey rubbed his hands over his face. "W'time is it?" He yawned.

"It's a quarter past time to wake the hell up and drink your soup." She handed him the container along with a spoon.

Harvey's expression suddenly brightened. "You brought me soup? That was so nice of you, Donna." He spoke with great enthusiasm.

Donna held back a chuckle. "H- Harvey are you okay?"

He began to eat his soup, making pleased noises in the process. "I've never felt better." He took another spoonful. "Those meds worked great."

Donna tilted her head, sending him a quizzical stare before her eyes shot back to the cough medicine on his night table. "Exactly how much did you take, Harvey?"

Harvey thought for a while, his expression comical. "About this much?" He held his thumb and index finger at a distance, showing her a measurement.

"Harvey-" She stared at her colleague and friend with a concerned and amused expression.

"What?" He looked back at her, face innocent and unknowing. Suddenly he stopped eating, lowering the soup he held.

"What?" Donna questioned, eyes darting all over his stunned expression.

"You- you're so beautiful." Harvey said in amazement.

Donna's jaw dropped.

 _Come again?_

"Uhh, excuse me?"

"You're just- you're so beautiful." Harvey spoke softly, eyes still blood-shot red from sleep.

 _He's high on cough medicine._ Donna didn't know whether to laugh or run for the hills.

"That's um, that's sweet, Harvey." She smiled at him.

He shook his head before placing his soup on the night stand. "No I mean it, you're the most beautiful woman in the world. Have I ever told you that?"

Donna felt her heart quicken and breath shorten. _What is he doing?_

"Um, no, you haven't." She replied quietly.

"I'm an idiot." Harvey nodded to himself.

Donna chuckled. "Yeah, you kind of are."

"I mean, if you're so beautiful, why did I never tell you?"

"I- I don't know." Donna smiled sadly despite herself.

Harvey shook his head again. "I mean, we've known each other for what? Twenty years?"

 _Twelve and a half,_ Donna mentally corrected.

"And I never told you?"

 _Well, if you can count the other time…._

Donna shook her head. No, she will not go _there._

She shrugged. "You were probably too busy to think about that sort of thing, let alone voice it." She played it off nonchalantly.

Harvey just continued to shake his head. "I'm an idiot. A damn idiot who doesn't tell-" He let out a yawn. "-doesn't tell his best friend and love of his life that she's beautiful." He blinked sleepily, voice started to droop.

 _His- what?_

Donna suddenly couldn't breathe. Couldn't hear anything beside her own heartbeat racing and those words echoing in her ear.

"… _and love of his life…"_

He clearly had no idea what he was saying. He was doped up on cough medicine, tired as hell, probably thinks he's still dreaming or something, because he's clearly not….

"You know what? I think it's time for you to go back to sleep." Donna finally found her voice and started to stand up from his bed when she felt his hand on her own, immediately sending shivers throughout her body.

 _Oh, no…._

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Warm dark eyes met her own in the dim light of his room, wide and innocent.

Donna sighed. "I have to wake up early for work tomorrow, Harvey."

His expression didn't deflate. "Will you be here again to see me tomorrow after work?"

She bit her lip, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation settling low in her stomach. She covered her other hand over his. "I'll bring some more soup." She smiled sweetly at him, patting his hand with her own before standing up.

Harvey leaned back against his pillows, sending her a soft and tired smile, eyes starting to droop again. "You're the best, Donna."

Donna smiled at him, this time full and all-encompassing. "I know." She replied, making her way out of his bedroom, only glancing back when she reached the door and noticed his eyes had closed completely.

She breathed out before starting to make her way out of his apartment.

She thought coming over and visiting Harvey, physically seeing that he was okay would make her feel better after a whole day's worth over worrying about the man she's come to know as her best friend for over a decade. Instead, the fluttering in her chest and this tingling sensation had taken over. She tried shaking it off, locking the door to his apartment before stopping to rest her head against it once outside.

"… _and love of his life…"_

He didn't know what he was saying. He was sick and tired and took too much medicine….

She let out a frustrated sigh as she began walking down the hallway toward the elevators. Once inside she let out a breath, but before she could press the ground button, she heard her phone signal a new message. _From Harvey._

She opened it.

 _I meant it._

"Hey Donna, do you have a second?" It was a full two days later when Harvey had returned to work. Donna had come by to see him once after- _that night._ She brought him soup, wary of him the entire time, but he hadn't shown any signs of remembering what he had told her the night before. She didn't know if that made her feel relieved or not.

After that, he spent the whole following day recuperating while she was at work.

Donna looked up from her computer to meet Harvey's attention for a second before continuing to type. "What do you need, Harvey?"

When he didn't respond right away, Donna stopped typing and looked up to see him shifting uncomfortably. "Harvey?" She pressed.

"Did I- did I happen to say or do anything the other night?"

Donna's heart quickened. "What do you mean?" She schooled her features.

"When I was out cold that first night I was sick- I know you told me the day after I had drank my share of cough medicine-"

" _And then some."_ Donna muttered.

"-but I just have this weird feeling I must've said something?"

Donna shook her head. "Nothing out of the normal egotistical Harvey vocabulary spectrum." She smiled smartly at him.

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Seriously, I didn't say anything weird?"

Donna sighed. "Why do you think you did?"

Harvey pulled out his phone, opening up to his messages before showing her his conversation with her.

" _I meant it."_ The words stared her in the face, like they did that very night. That same night she proceeded to have a restless sleep, filled with dreams that still made her shiver to this day.

"Oh," She looked away from his phone to look at him. "You called yourself an idiot."


End file.
